Matt Kemp may not be running yet, but he’s certainly hitting, which has the Dodgers thinking he will be back with the team before the regular season ends.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Kemp, who had a setback last Thursday when he felt tightness in his right hamstring while rehabilitating in Glendale, Ariz., hit the ball very well in a simulated game on Tuesday.

“I think everyone is pretty positive that he’s on a pretty good track as far as what he’s been able to do,” Mattingly said. “And the little testing they do with him without him actually trying to run, has been pretty positive.”

Does Mattingly really believe that Kemp, who has been out since July 21 with a sprained left ankle, will be back before the regular season ends?

“Yeah, I do, I’m starting to feel that way,” Mattingly said.

Mattingly said Kemp’s running has been slowed with the latest setback, but his hitting is a positive.

Kemp sat out 24 games earlier this season because of an injury to the same hamstring, so there still is concern. Mattingly said he’d like to see Kemp play several games with the Dodgers before the postseason, which starts Oct. 1.

The Dodgers have 18 regular-season games left.

“It’d be hard to judge if it was like two games or something,” Mattingly said. “It’d be nice to be able to see him in 10 to 12 games.”

Davidson makes debut

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Matt Davidson grew up in Yucaipa, about 70 miles east of Dodger Stadium. His first appearance in a major-league lineup here is tonight, and it’s a quieter occasion than one might expect. He expects about 20 friends and family to attend.

Unlike a lot of Southern California kids, Davidson wasn’t a Dodgers or Angels fan growing up, though he did attend a handful of games at each park.

“I was just a big Randy Johnson fan,” he said. “I went to the (Diamondbacks) and followed them because of him.”

Davidson’s dream came true on August 11 when he made his major-league debut in Phoenix. The 35th overall pick in the 2009 draft came into Tuesday’s game hitting .184 (7 for 38) in 17 games. Primarily a pitcher in high school, Davidson is seen as the Diamondbacks’ third baseman of the future.

“Defense has been my weak point. I’ve been working on it a lot,” he said. “It’s been getting easier, I guess more fun to play as I’ve been getting better. That’s the part I lacked.”

Yucaipa has been a focal point lately because of Davidson and Seattle Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker, high school teammates who quickly ascended the minor-league ladder to debut 19 days apart. Cleveland Indians outfielder Matt Carson and veteran Cincinnati Reds catcher Corky Miller give Yucaipa four current major-league players. Former Arizona third baseman Mark Teahen, currently out of organized baseball, is perhaps the city’s most famous baseball player.

Not bad for a town of 51,000.

“A lot of people don’t even know how to pronounce it when they see it,” Davidson said. “It’s a small town. That area, everyone knows about it but people who don’t live in Southern California — even more Inland Empire area — they don’t even know. People have no clue where you’re from. It’s kind of cool.”

Davidson said the calm and relaxed vibe in town suits his personality. He recently became engaged to a Yucaipa native, and plans to spend his first off-season as a Major League Baseball player in his home town.

Since Yucaipa is a small town, it’s not like half the stadium will be cheering Davidson’s name tonight. That doesn’t make the occasion any less special for the 22-year-old.

“Honestly it makes it a little more fun knowing you can play in front of your family and friends,” he said.

L.A. has interesting early schedule in 2014

The Dodgers will be the team the world sees first when the 2014 Major League Baseball season begins, part of the full schedule released Tuesday by the league.

As previously announced, the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks will meet in Sydney, Australia, for a two-game series in the middle of spring training. The games at the Sydney Cricket Ground March 22 and 23 will be MLB’s first regular-season contests in Australia, and there will be no regular-season games for another nine days.

The Dodgers return to California to visit the San Diego Padres for three games beginning March 31. After an off day, the Dodgers host the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium for a three-game series beginning Friday, April 4. The Detroit Tigers then visit for a two-game interleague affair April 8-9.

The Dodgers have three off-days in the first 11 days of the 2014 schedule after returning from Australia, and four off-days in the first 15 days of the season.

All the Dodgers’ interleague games are against American League Central teams, with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox visiting Dodger Stadium.

Easter Sunday (April 20 vs. Arizona), Mother’s Day (May 11 vs. San Francisco), Memorial Day (May 26 vs. Cincinnati), Father’s Day (June 15 vs. Arizona) and Labor Day (Sept. 1 vs. Washington) are all home dates, though the Dodgers will visit Colorado for the coveted July 4 game.

Notable

Mattingly said Hyun-Jin Ryu (13-5, 3.02 ERA) is set to make his scheduled start today after missing his last start in Cincinnati with mid-back stiffness. Ryu threw 40 pitches in the bullpen on Sunday and is on track to pitch tonight against Arizona … Chris Capuano is slated to have a bullpen session tomorrow. He suffered a mild left groin strain in Cincinnati. The Dodgers will have a decision to make with Capuano if he returns. “If everything goes good, we’ll start thinking about where we are going to slot him — bullpen or whatever,” Mattingly said.

Dave Thorpe is the local sports coordinator for the Daily Breeze. He has been covering local sports in the South Bay for the Daily Breeze since 2006. He previously was the sports editor at the Palos Verdes Peninsula News.